Alt tag: Broadcast video camera
Technology has certainly played a major role in making football the most watched “television show” in the US year after year. The Super Bowl is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s no doubt that technology has elevated football into the made-for-TV event that it is today.
How exactly has technology changed the way that fans enjoy the game? There are actually multiple innovations introduced in football broadcasts that can be credited with improving how enjoyable the game can be to fans. Many people who have grown up watching football feel more comfortable with interactive elements on their screens when enjoying other events because of the game!
The First Down Line Innovation – Making the Game Watchable
There are innovations that have been made to aspects around the game that have made it more “watchable.” People who are not fans of the game per se but like the adrenaline that they get from betting on matches could argue that the arrival of the Bitcoin sportsbook, with football prop bets, is one of these innovations. Without a doubt, however, when talking about the impact of technology and football broadcasting, there’s no better place to start than the yellow first-down line.
People who haven’t been watching football for that long may be surprised to learn that the now famous yellow first down line was first showcased in a live game in 1998. The line is meant to show viewers how far an offense has to travel to get another set of downs. This simple but innovative idea allowed non-fans to understand the game much better and potentially enjoy it.
This innovation may seem simple, but its development dates back to the late 70s. It turns out that drawing a yellow line on a live TV broadcast, particularly before the digital age, was no easy task. The idea sparked the implementation of different elements that are now a staple of football broadcasts.
Sky Cam, Pilon Cameras & More
The first downline was innovative for the game, but the camera angles that today’s regular football broadcasts feature changed the way that live TV is shot. Many of these innovations came thanks to a man called Steve Sabol and his company, NFL Films. They were the first to put their cameras near players and coaches.
Many of their camera angles didn’t even cover the entire action on the field. What they did provide was close-ups of the faces of these players and coaches, which in turn allowed people to get a feel for the personality of the player behind the facemask. The aforementioned film company found new ways to stick microphones as well as cameras close to the action to give people a true life perspective of the game.
These innovations led to the now famous pilon cameras, which are planted at the goal line to allow referees to see if a player got into the end zone or not. While this may seem like an aspect that’s unique to football, these tiny cameras are now used to cover all sorts of events. The Sky Cam is the greatest example of an idea that started in football and is now used everywhere.
Ironically, the Sky Cam was an idea pioneered by the XFL. This was a pro football league started by WWE founder Vice Machon. His intention was to get people even closer to the action through these unique camera angles. Now, it’s impossible to cover a live event without a camera hanging from a cord somewhere.
Stats & Other Data Showing Up on the Screen
People could argue that having things show up on the screen that were, in essence, generated digitally was not pioneered by football broadcasting. After all, the weather report in many local stations was already a version of what we see in football games every weekend. That may be true, but football broadcasts provided up-to-date stats that could be changed dynamically as the game went on.
Therefore, it’s fair to say that even if the concept existed before it was used in these games, these broadcasts took it to a new level. This is, again, an element that’s currently very useful for live TV. News shows have completely adopted this idea and made it their own.
There are even people doing live broadcasts on YouTube that incorporate this type of visual help into their shows. The quality of the digital elements that are used in sports broadcasts, in general, is usually above and beyond what people can expect to find if they turn on their local news station.
Context for Viewers at All Times
The first downline, the camera angles, and the stats that show up on the screen all have one main purpose. That is to provide the people at home watching with a way to understand what’s going on in the game at all times. This aspect has become essential to ensure that current viewers can remain engaged while watching games.
The average attention span that people have has decreased drastically over the last few years. Many people who are watching a game may look down to their phones from time to time. It’s essential to use all of this technology to give them continuous context of what’s going on in the game, even if they miss some of the action.
Providing this continuous context helps viewers remain engaged with games. That means that ad space for football games can be worth more than it would be for other live events. Of course, the ratings are important, but so is the time that people actually spend with their TV on, watching a particular show.
Final Thoughts
Many of the innovations that can be seen in both live TV and even shows and movies have come from the world of sports. The fact that there’s action happening live that can’t necessarily be duplicated has forced TV producers to come up with creative ways to not only film the action but present a show that’s worth watching for fans.
Due to the dynamic nature of football, it has been at the forefront of these innovations for years. Ironically, the complexity of the game has also pushed broadcasters to get creative, and all of this has propelled the industry forward.
